NPCW: Behind the Curtain – Episode 009: “New Blood at the Table”

 

NPCW: Behind the Curtain – Episode 009: “New Blood at the Table”

A new era begins as fresh faces take their seats at the NPCW Board.
Power, control, and consequence collide in a tense first meeting that shifts the balance of the entire company.
But while alliances form in the open… darker agendas begin to move beneath the surface.
In NPCW, not every decision is what it seems—and not every player is who they claim to be.

INT. NPCW HEADQUARTERS – BOARDROOM – MORNING

A vast, immaculate boardroom.

Snow falls beyond towering glass windows, blanketing the world outside in silence.

At the table sit the most powerful figures in NPCW.

Bernard at the head.
Scrooge beside him, impatient fingers tapping.
Aurelius Valor, composed and observant.
Arden Vantrell, still as stone.
Chairman Alexander, calm and measured.
And Kristine Kringle, seated as proxy for Kris Kringle—focused, controlled.

Three empty seats remain.

Behind them, along the perimeter:

Lucien Vantrell. Bob Cratchit. Victoria Deschamps. Celeste Noir. Johnny Michaels.

Watching.

Waiting.

The doors open.

Kristine is the last to settle.

The room stills.

Bernard
Let’s begin.

---

THE BOARD EXPANDS

Bernard
Today marks a turning point for NPCW.

Not just in leadership…

But in direction.

Scrooge
Direction tends to improve when fewer people are involved.

Aurelius doesn’t react. He doesn’t need to.

Bernard
We are expanding the board.

To ensure balance.

Oversight.

And accountability.

A faint shift from Vantrell.

Watching. Measuring.

---

SERAPHINE VIREMONT

Bernard
Our first new member…

Lady Seraphine Viremont.

The doors open.

She enters like she belongs.

Elegant. Controlled. Precise.

She takes her seat between Scrooge and Vantrell.

Seraphine
It is an honor to join this institution.

Vantrell
Your insight will be… valuable.

Kristine watches her closely.

Not welcoming.

Assessing.

---

SIR ALISTAIR HAWTHORNE

Bernard
Next…

Sir Alistair Hawthorne.

The doors open again.

Hawthorne enters with quiet authority.

He takes his seat directly across from Vantrell.

Deliberate.

Hawthorne
Chairman.

A beat.

Hawthorne
I’ve spent a lifetime in this industry.

I intend to protect what made it worth building.

Scrooge
And what would that be?

Hawthorne
Integrity.

Silence settles across the table.

---

DR. EVELYN HARTWELL

Bernard
And finally…

Dr. Evelyn Hartwell.

The door opens quietly.

Evelyn enters without ceremony.

She sits.

Evelyn
Thank you.

Scrooge
That all?

She turns slightly.

Evelyn
If I speak at length…

Something has gone wrong.

Behind them, Johnny Michaels nearly smiles.

---

THE FIRST DISCUSSION

Bernard
The board is now complete.

We move forward together.

Vantrell
Then let’s begin with structure.

NPCW needs clarity.

Efficiency.

Unified direction.

Scrooge
Finally.

Kristine
No.

Silence hits the room.

Even the observers shift slightly.

Kristine
NPCW is not being centralized under a single authority.

Vantrell
Then it will fracture under competing ones.

Aurelius
Only if those competing… fail to align.

Alexander
Measured balance is not weakness.

Vantrell studies the table.

Calculating.

Then—

Evelyn
The premise of this discussion is flawed.

All eyes turn.

Evelyn
You are debating control.

Without defining outcome.

She looks at Vantrell.

Evelyn
If authority consolidates—

What prevents abuse?

Then to Kristine.

Evelyn
If it does not—

What prevents paralysis?

Silence.

Evelyn
So the decision is not control versus balance.

A beat.

Evelyn
It is which failure you are willing to risk.

That lands.

Hard.

---

POSITIONING

Hawthorne
Well said.

Seraphine
A very… precise perspective.

But her eyes linger on Evelyn.

Longer than they should.

Scrooge
So we sit here analyzing risk while the business stalls?

Aurelius
No.

A beat.

Aurelius
We choose wisely… before it does.

Vantrell
Then I suggest we begin making choices.

Soon.

Kristine
We will.

A beat.

Kristine
But not rushed ones.

---

ADJOURNMENT

Bernard
That’s enough for today.

He stands.

Everyone follows.

Bernard
We reconvene with proposals.

Not positions.

---

AFTERMATH

The room breaks—but the tension doesn’t.

Kristine speaks quietly with Victoria.

Cratchit flips through documents, already calculating.

Lucien watches his father.

Celeste studies reactions.

Johnny absorbs it all like a broadcast producer building a narrative.

Across the room—

Seraphine approaches Evelyn.

Seraphine
You ask the right questions.

Evelyn
I ask necessary ones.

Seraphine
Those are rarely welcomed.

Evelyn
That doesn’t make them optional.

A pause.

A smile from Seraphine.

Not warm.

She walks away.

Evelyn watches her.

Thinking.

---

EPILOGUE 1 — CRIMSON HAND

INT. PRIVATE CORRIDOR – NIGHT

Elias Coldmere stands by a window, watching snow fall.

He doesn’t turn as footsteps approach.

Coldmere
You took your time.

Seraphine steps beside him.

Seraphine
I wanted to be… properly introduced.

A beat.

Seraphine
The board is mine now.

Coldmere smiles faintly.

Coldmere
And?

Seraphine
Vantrell believes I’m aligned with him.

A pause.

Seraphine
He isn’t wrong.

Coldmere chuckles quietly.

Coldmere
He just isn’t right either.

They share a look.

Understanding.

Seraphine
Dr. Hartwell.

Coldmere
Yes.

Seraphine
She sees too much.

Coldmere
Not enough.

Yet.

A pause.

Seraphine
And Hawthorne?

Coldmere
Suspicious.

Seraphine
Good.

A faint smile.

Seraphine
Suspicion without proof is… useless.

Coldmere turns back to the window.

Coldmere
Lord Thorne will want an update.

Seraphine
He already has one.

A beat.

Seraphine
This board…

Her voice lowers.

Seraphine
…is exactly where it needs to be.

Coldmere
Then we proceed.

Seraphine
We proceed.

Snow falls.

Silence.

---

EPILOGUE 2 — MEASURED SUPPORT

INT. KRISTINE’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Warm light. Frosted windows.

Kristine stands by the glass.

Victoria enters.

Victoria
Do you have a minute?

Kristine
If you’re asking, it means I should.

Victoria
It’s about Goldie.

Kristine nods.

Victoria
Elias and Alton…

They’ve been quietly undermining her.

Framing her as unstable. Not ready.

It’s spreading.

Kristine
And your assessment?

Victoria
She’s improving.

Not perfect.

But she cares.

Kristine allows a faint smile.

Kristine
That’s becoming rare.

Victoria
This isn’t about performance.

Kristine
No.

A beat.

Kristine
That’s why she still has the job.

Victoria
You already decided?

Kristine
I gave her another quarter.

Not because she’s succeeding.

Because someone wants her to fail.

Silence.

Victoria
Elias… I don’t trust.

Kristine
No.

Victoria
Alton…

I understand him.

But not what’s influencing him.

Kristine
He’s not operating independently.

A beat.

Victoria
So Goldie’s in the way.

Kristine
Exactly.

Victoria
What do you want to do?

Kristine
We don’t protect her.

A pause.

Victoria
No?

Kristine
We strengthen her.

If we step in directly, we validate their narrative.

Victoria
But if she improves—

Kristine
—then their narrative collapses.

A shared understanding.

Victoria
I’ll work with her.

Kristine
Not publicly.

Victoria
Of course.

Kristine
Guide her.

Help her avoid mistakes.

Victoria
You want her to outgrow the criticism.

Kristine
I want her to outlast it.

A beat.

Victoria
And if she can’t?

Kristine
Then she shouldn’t be in the role.

Honest.

Final.

Victoria nods.

Victoria
Fair.

She turns to leave.

Stops.

Victoria
You’re worried about Elias.

Kristine
Yes.

A beat.

Kristine
But I’m more concerned about why he’s so confident.

That lingers.

Victoria
Then we’ll make sure he’s wrong.

A small smile from Kristine.

Kristine
Let’s make sure he has to prove it.

Victoria exits.

Kristine remains.

Watching the snow.

Thinking.

---

EPILOGUE 3 — OLD EYES, NEW SHADOWS

EXT. PRIVATE TERRACE – NIGHT

Snow drifts across stone.

Hawthorne stands at the railing.

Blackmoor approaches.

Blackmoor
You picked a hell of a first meeting.

Hawthorne
I’ve seen worse.

A beat.

Hawthorne
Not many.

Blackmoor
What’s the read?

Hawthorne
Too many agendas.

Not enough honesty.

Blackmoor
That’s wrestling.

Hawthorne
No.

This is something else.

A shift.

Blackmoor
Who do you want eyes on?

Hawthorne
Vantrell.

Blackmoor
Expected.

Hawthorne
Seraphine Viremont.

A pause.

Blackmoor
She just got here.

Hawthorne
And already feels like she hasn’t.

A beat.

Hawthorne
And Dr. Hartwell.

Blackmoor
Didn’t expect that.

Hawthorne
Neither did I.

She sees too much.

Blackmoor
Problem?

Hawthorne
Variable.

A nod.

Blackmoor
You want dirt… or truth?

Hawthorne
If there’s dirt, I want it.

If there isn’t…

I want to know why.

Blackmoor
I’ll start pulling threads.

Hawthorne
Quietly.

Blackmoor
Always.

Blackmoor exits.

Silence returns.

Then—

Aurelius approaches.

Aurelius
You wasted no time.

Hawthorne
You didn’t bring me here to sit quietly.

Aurelius
No.

A beat.

Aurelius
I told you this would be interesting.

Hawthorne glances at him.

Hawthorne
It’s worse than interesting.

A faint smile.

Aurelius
Good.

Hawthorne
That doesn’t concern you?

Aurelius
It does.

But not enough to be surprised.

Snow swirls.

Hawthorne
Vantrell’s building something.

Aurelius
Yes.

Hawthorne
And he’s not the only one.

A pause.

Aurelius
That is why you’re here.

Hawthorne
You expect this to escalate.

Aurelius
I expect it to reveal itself.

A beat.

Hawthorne
And when it does?

Aurelius turns.

Calm. Certain.

Aurelius
Then we decide what NPCW becomes.

Hawthorne grips his cane slightly.

Hawthorne
Let’s hope we still have a say.

Aurelius smiles faintly.

Aurelius
We will.

A beat.

Aurelius
That’s why I asked you to join.

They stand together.

Watching the storm gather.